Take Care
by infinitearms
Summary: Cato has nursed a soft spot for the Girl on Fire since he saw her at the tribute parade. Katniss seeks to discover if there truly is a good person under Cato's tough facade. When they become victors together,will their bond grow stronger or be divided by the difficult circumstances surronding their victory? AU. Slightly OOC,mostly in later chapters.CatoxKatniss friendship/romance
1. Chapter 1: Audience of One

Take Care

Chapter 1: Audience of One

"We ran away, now all my friends are gone

Maybe we've outgrown all the things we once loved

Run away,

What are we running from?

A show of hands from those in this audience of one

Where have they gone?"

-Rise Against, Audience of One

Katniss POV

I'm running. Quickly through the forest, past the stream on my way to the cave where a gravely injured Peeta is waiting. I clutch the small pack containing the Capitol medicine that will save his life.

I came so close to dying back at the feast. Clove had been waiting patiently to take my life, and she wanted to make as slow and painful as possible. If Thresh hadn't shown up when he did, I would be dead now.

I try to push the thought back, and remember that Peeta is waiting for me back at the cave. He and I, we can still do this. We can win this thing and go home together. Back to District 12, where our families and old lives are waiting.

The thought of going home to Gale and my family was the only thing keeping me going until the rule change, when I found out that one less of us had to die. I don't yet love Peeta the way he claims to love me, but I care about him and owe him for saving my life. He's a genuinely good person, and even the games haven't changed that.

Maybe real love will come when we're victors together and return home to our families. Thoughts of returning home to an ecstatic Prim overwhelm me when the cannon goes off.

But for who? I can see the mouth of the cave clearly in the distance and I sprint frantically towards it. "Peeta!" I yell as I climb inside. "Peeta! I'm back! I have your medic-"My voice drops as my eyes take in the sight of Peeta, the wound on his knee colored a nasty shade of purple, blood gushing from the surface.

His once bright blue eyes are now glassy and half closed as he lays eagle spread on the hard floor of the cave. "Peeta! No. I have your medicine! You're going to be fine, don't go! Everything is going to be fine! Wake up, and we can go home! Please Peeta! Don't go! Peeta…" My voice drifts off as I realize it's over, he's not coming back to me. And with not even so much as a warning, my last remaining ally in the games has been taken from me.

* * *

Cato POV

I stand over Thresh's dead body, offhandedly admiring the way his blood stains my sword. "That was for Clove!" I spit as I turn to walk away when the cannon sounds. I do a double take as I realize that it sounded not once, but twice.

Who's the other cannon for? Hopefully Fire Girl or my pathetic former ally, her Lover Boy. The Girl on Fire had been stealing my spotlight ever since she volunteered for her sister. When she scored that eleven, it could have been all over for me if I hadn't charmed the money out of those idiotic Capitol citizens wallets. Of course, my brute strength and good looks certainly didn't hurt.

As much as I dislike her, I have to admit that Fire Girl's the only person left in this arena that's actually worth my time. If she's still alive, when I kill her I may even get a chance to ask her exactly how she got that eleven. I might even make her death quick since she's been such good competition.

She actually had something going for her in the looks department too. I quickly shake the thought of considering the enemy to be attractive out of my mind and mentally scold myself for nursing a soft spot for the Girl on Fire.

I remember what Brutus, my mentor said after he caught me glancing at her during the tribute parade. "There are other girls back home that are far more desirable than her. Once you're victor, all of them will be dying to be with you."

Not that they weren't before, but as a victor, I'll live in luxury with a beautiful wife and my kids will train and become victors just as I did. Then, all of this- giving up my whole life to train, hardly seeing my family and loosing Clove will be worth it.

Clove. It's painful to think about her. She and I went way back and had been close ever since we were rookies at the training center. It shook me up pretty bad when she was chosen to volunteer with me. The idea of killing her, even though it may be necessary, ate at me throughout our time at the Capitol and during the games. I would never feel completely accomplished if I knew I had been forced to take her life to win.

I sigh deeply as I reach my shelter and try to calm down. I killed Thresh to honor her memory, and now I have to move on. In a few short days, I will become victor and make both District 2 and Clove proud as the winner of the 74th Annual Hunger Games.

* * *

Author's Note: Hi everyone! This is my first fan fiction. Like a lot of people, I'm a hardcore Catoniss shipper and I just had to throw something into the collection of great stories people have been writing. Since it's finally summertime, I decided to start writing my first fic, considering I have a lot of time on my hands. I'm hoping to use this story as an opportunity to improve on my writing, kind of like practice for when I start my AP Lang and Comp class in the fall. I'm trying to make this as unique as possible, which is going to be difficult since I'm entirely sure where I want to take the story, so bear with me if this sounds somewhat familiar. It'll be kind of obvious that it starts out in Katniss' point of view and then switches to Cato's. I just have a few ideas right now, so feedback would be awesome and I would love to hear if you guys have ideas to improve my writing. I may go back and edit the chapters to make improvements on the story. Thank you for reading and please review if you can - Claire

Edit 6/29/12: I went back and changed the format to make it easier to read.


	2. Chapter 2: Thoughtlife

Chapter 2: Thoughtlife

"So with these few words, you'll erase me

Two years of our lives meant nothing to you

But this fool that you've made of me has a lesson learned

You can't trust a lover who was never a friend."

-Emery, Thoughtlife

Katniss POV

My fingers gently close Peeta's eyes as I prepare his body for resting. I smooth his blond hair back as I lean down to plant a kiss on his forehead for the final time. I squeeze his hand for a final goodbye.

As selfish as it sounds, I don't want to be here when the hovercraft comes to retrieve his body. I can't handle it right now. I hear the familiar roar of the hovercraft and quickly move out of the cave and behind some nearby trees, scanning the horizon for any nearby figures.

Cato and Foxface are still alive, and I'm betting he's going to be looking for me soon, if not already. Now that Peeta's gone, I've really hit the end of the road. He was my last hope. Now I'm stuck in the arena alone.

Darkness begins to creep over the sky as I inwardly curse the game makers for making the night come so quickly, at such an inconvenient time. My heart aches when I see Clove, Thresh, and then Peeta's face flash across the night sky. Thresh is dead? I was so caught up in getting back to Peeta that I didn't even notice the second cannon.

I blink back tears and try to think of a distraction. I want to hunt so badly, so I can feel in control and calm myself down. Unfortunately, it would be foolish and nearly impossible to hunt now, in this darkness, so I'm forced to retire to the isolated cave alone with my merger food supply.

Only a few roots, some crackers, and a handful of berries remain. I quickly shove the rations down my throat and wash them down with the small amount of water left in my canteen.

Tomorrow, I think as I settle down to sleep, I'll hunt and figure out how to get rid of Cato and Foxface. I have nothing against either of them personally, but if I'm going to keep my promise to Prim, they have to be eliminated. I try to ignore the feelings of guilt directed at my fellow tributes, including a certain muscular and handsome Career. The District 2 male, Cato, had been sneaking looks at my since the tribute parade. He must have thought I didn't notice but I always did. Flushing shyly under his stare, I silently cursed him for being so good looking. The Career pack tried to kill you, I remind myself. I'm just doing what I have to for survival, nothing more. He would easily end your life without a second thought.

Those looks were meant to inspire intimidation, not admiration. I had never let myself get distracted by something as petty as romance before and I wasn't about to start now. He has to go. Another, more sympathetic part of me remembers that he has a family to go home to as well. But now is not the time to back down. I've killed before, and I'll do it again. Anything to go home and get back to Prim.

* * *

Cato POV

I stare up at the faces of the fallen tributes from the safety of my tent. My district partner was included among the dead. "Goodbye Clove. It was a good fight, a really good fight. You made your district proud." This is all I allow myself to say. I can't start getting emotional and risk making myself look weak.

My trainer's words flash through my memory: "Stay strong until the end, even when your district partner is gone. Never show emotion. Showing emotion shows weakness, and being weak always gets you killed. Always."

I compose myself and keep a strong front as Lover Boy's face flashes above me. That means the Girl on Fire is still alive.

Part of me is relieved, and I don't understand why. "She's competition! You have to kill her! Why are you acting like you have some kind of juvenile crush on her?" I silently berate myself. If Brutus and my trainers could hear what I was thinking now, I'd be in a world of hurt. There was no time for romantic relationships in the arena or back home.

Those were saved for after you had become victor, and even then were mostly loveless, based mainly on raising future victors. No girl, especially one from the slums of District 12, would ever change that tradition.

Katniss had captured my attention, but she and I could never be together in the way that I imagined. Soon she will be dead, by my hands. I can't forget who I am. I'm brutal, bloody Cato from District 2. Tomorrow, I tell myself, I'm finding her and the girl from 5. Then I'll kill them both and finally become a victor. And no feelings, romantic or otherwise, will ever get in the way.

* * *

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed and added Take Care to their alerts and favorites! Special thanks to my first reviewers, Courtney DiLaurentis and Peeniss0314 Y'all make me blush. I'm so glad you guys like it and it would be so great if you could drop a quick review or PM me so I can get your thoughts on what I can do to improve So in the second chapter Katniss' POV is longer than Cato's because I struggled with writing what was going on with him during this chapter. I went back and edited both parts several times. Fortunately, this story in general has been coming along really nicely. I already have ideas for future chapters but I need help on a few things. I was planning on having Cato as an only child- even though I love the idea of him having siblings, this just seems like a better fit for this story. What do you guys think? If you've made it this far, thanks for reading my nonsensical ramblings! Now onto the story

Edit: 6/29/12 I went back and changed the formatting to make it easier to read. Thank you for bringing that to my attention.


	3. Chapter 3: Me vs Maradona vs Elvis

Chapter 3: Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis

"But they're scared that we know

All the crimes they'll commit

Who they'll kiss before they get home"

-Brand New, Me vs. Maradona vs. Elvis

Katniss POV

The sunlight peeking in through the cracks at the entrance of the cave wakes me from my restless sleep. It was hard spending the night without Peeta by my side, despite my exhaustion from the day's trials. Of course, sleeping in the arena was never a relaxing experience before, but last night was especially difficult. I sigh as I get up and stretch, preparing for the challenges a new day would bring.

My stomach growls deeply as I remember I'm all out of food. Now, in the early morning, is my best chance to hunt without being detected. I grab my bow and carefully climb out of the mouth of the cave.

The forest is alive with potential game. Birds chirp happily from their perches while squirrels scuttle under the towering trees. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice a bush bursting with a familiar berry.

My father had taught me to avoid nightlock because of their highly poisonous fruit. Eating even one berry could cause almost instant death. If Cato finds me, and plans to take revenge for my part in Clove's death, I could spare myself, and my family from being forced to watch me die a painful death. These berries could come in handy.

I select a healthy amount from the bush and scoop them into the pocket of my jacket, when I become distracted by a large bird flying right past me. I hardly notice the nightlock spilling from my jacket as I quietly stalk after the groosling.

The bird settles on a nearby branch, oblivious to my presence. Taking careful aim with my bow, I position myself so the arrow will hit in right in the eye. Twang! A perfect shot. I grin happily and collect my kill. That's when the cannon sounds.

_Who's dead?_ I wonder silently as I discretely make my way back to the nightlock bush. My question is soon answered by the sight in front of me. Foxface's shining auburn hair is pooled around her still body, lips tinted violet from the nightlock she ingested.

She was fortunate enough to die quickly and painlessly. _Now you know how to kill Cato_, I muse. _Trick him into eating nightlock._ He's not stupid, and it's not going to be easy to carry out my plan, but it's the only way. There's no way I could beat him in a fight- he's much stronger than me. My stomach rumbles and I look down at the groosling. I'll eat first, then find Cato.

I gnaw hungrily at the charred meat as I think about how to find Cato. He's much too large to miss, even if he's hiding, which I seriously doubt he will be. He has no reason to hide. He must have heard the cannon when I did and realized there's only two of us left. However, I have learned subtlety and patience from my years of hunting. Cato may be strong, but he's no strategic genius. He's not going to go somewhere he doesn't know. I bet he's close to the old Career pack camp by the cornucopia. I can sneak up on him and aim my bow directly at the back of his neck. It's a clean shot, meant to kill quickly and effectively. I don't want to make him suffer. A quick death will be best for both of us, I decide, with an air of finality. That's when a low growl erupts from behind me.

I jump up, bow raised on instinct, and steadily move myself away from the direction of the growl. It's a large dog-like animal, with rippling muscles and thick legs. It readies for attack as I release an arrow into its dense flesh. The creature howls in pain. I take its temporary distraction as my chance to run, clutching my bow tightly. Growls and snarls fill the air as the mutt, plus its pack, angrily charges after me.

I rack my mind for a place to take shelter from the mutts as I run. The pack travels in one direction, almost like they're herding me somewhere. Then it hits me- _they're chasing me to the cornucopia. If I can climb to the top, they won't be able to catch me._

The golden horn of the cornucopia is visible in the near distance. I muster all my remaining energy into sprinting towards it and scramble up the cold surface. Once safely on top, I'm greeted by a very familiar face.

It's Cato, a large, bloody claw wound adorning his left cheek as he gasps for breath.

* * *

Cato POV

The second Katniss reaches the top of the cornucopia, I jump on her and pin her small body down. I don't even allow her to catch her breath. There's no time for small courtesies anymore.

She just looks up at me expectedly, like she knew this was going to happen. "Can you please make this quick? My family is watching." Her voice is shaking a little but she states her last request firmly and calmly. She doesn't plead or beg or lose her cool. There's that familiar look in her eyes again. Even in the face of death, her fire hasn't gone out.

I don't know what makes me do it, but I do the unthinkable. I loosen my grip completely and let her go. "Get out of here," I order. Katniss looks both confused and grateful. "You're not going to kill me?" she asks quietly. "Go away before I change my mind," I snarl, annoyed by both my weakness and her hesitation.

"I can't go anywhere. The mutts are down there," she says, pointing to the grumbling pack beneath us. One particularly determined mutt jumps up and down, stratching at the sides of the cornucopia in its effort to reach us. I sigh deeply. She's right. We're stuck. She makes no move to grab her bow like I thought she would. I already wasted my best chance to kill her. It looks like the Girl on Fire and I are going to have to coexist together until one of us kills the other.

I can't help thinking, even now, that even when she's bruised and stratched and covered in a thin layer of dirt, that she still looks beautiful. Her sooty gray eyes study me carefully, resting on the nasty wound on my cheek. "You're hurt," she says finally. "It looks bad." "Not really. It's just a stratch," I reply, both perplexed and elated at her worry.

"I have something that can help," she says, pulling a small jar from her backpack. She screws the lid off of the jar, the contents of which look like burn medicine, and slowly approaches my side of the cornucopia. "Do you want to, or should I?" she states boldly, hesitantly holding the cream.

I debate this for a second. Although I'm perfectly capable of applying cream to my own wound, I wouldn't mind finding out if her hands are as soft as they look. I'm going to die soon anyways.

"Go ahead," I tell her, nodding to show my consent. She dips her hand in the jar and gathers the remaining amount of medicine. "This is going to sting," she warns as she carefully applies the cream to my left cheek, stroking it gently. The pain in my cheek goes unnoticed and I feel nothing but her soft hand touching my raw wound and it's the best thing I've ever felt. I almost tell her not to stop as she pulls her hand back and begins to walk away.

"Wait," I say before I can stop myself. "Katniss."

"Yes?" she replies softly. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that." "You're welcome," she says slowly, like she doesn't know what to make of brutal, bloody Cato thanking someone. "Cato?" "Yeah?" "I know I didn't have to. I wanted to." And with that, she turns and walks away.

The breath is almost knocked out of my chest as I attempt to process what she just said. She wanted to help me? She didn't like seeing me hurt? Does this mean she thinks of me in the same way I think of her? _No_, I think, shaking my head. _Don't be stupid. She could never, would never feel like that for you. She just felt sorry for you._

My negative thoughts are interrupted by Katniss quietly calling my name. "Cato?" she asks. "Yeah Katniss?" "Your stratch looks better already. It should heal up quickly," she replies. "Thank you." She nods in return.

Before I can stop myself, I walk over to her. "Do you want to go home? Because you can kill me and then you could win." She looks back at me, eyes shining bright. "I want to go home more than anything. But I'm done killing people. I can't watch another person die." I nod, feeling the same way. "But there's no alternative. There has to be a victor." "Why should they have their victor? After everything that's happened? They don't deserve it."

She digs in her backpack before retrieving a handful of small purple berries. "These are called nightlock. When you eat them, they cause a quick and painless death. We could do it together, you and I. We could show them that they don't own us."

Then it dawns on me. The Capitol controlled my whole life, turning me into a killing machine and then leaving me to die like I'm nothing when I gave them everything. I no longer have anything to live for. "Let's do it then. I don't have anything left to live for."

She nods and pours some nightlock into my open palm. "I'm sorry Prim. I love you so much. Please don't ever forget that." _Prim must be her little sister_. _The one she volunteered for._ Katniss turns and faces me. I look back at her. I'm ready to end my life my way.

"On the count of three. One, two, thr-" As soon as the berries reach our lips, a voice cries out, "STOP! STOP! Put the berries down! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the winners of the 74th Annual Hunger Games!"

I turn to face a shocked Katniss. I take her hand and squeeze it reassuringly as the hovercraft roars in the distance.

* * *

Author's Note: I want quickly sincerely thank everyone who reviewed and added Take Care to their story alerts and favorites. You guys give me the inspiration to keep on writing. Chapter 3 is extra long (which is why it took me so long to write it, I apologize for that) and has some romantic moments, although no kissing (yet!), which were really fun to write as a Catoniss shipper. I hope you like reading it! Regarding the formatting issue, I fixed that for this chapter and apologize for that in earlier chapters, in the future that will not be a problem. It should make the story much easier to read. Thank you wolfgirl for bringing that to my attention. You guys may have noticed I changed my pen name recently from clairenoelle to infinitearms, I just wanted to mention that in case there's any confusion. I'll go back and write a longer note later, right now I'm trying to hurry up and get this chapter typed and up. Thank you for everything and I hope you enjoy!- Claire


	4. Chapter 4:The Quiet Things

Chapter 4: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

"Reports of lover's tryst

Were neither clear nor descript

We kept it safe and slow,

The quiet things that no one ever knows"

-Brand New, The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows

Katniss POV

The sound of low voices murmuring quietly around me jostles me from my deep slumber. The hum of what sounds like medical equipment echoes throughout the room. I feel sort of disoriented, like I've been given medicine to help me sleep. I open my eyes to find that I'm surrounded by Haymitch and Effie.

"She's awake!" Effie chirps excitedly. Haymitch shushes her and waves a hand to show his annoyance at her enthusiasm.

"Quiet! She just woke up. Don't startle her," he grumbles irritably. "Sweetheart, can you hear me? You're in the hospital. You won the games a few days ago."

"Well, technically she and Cato won the games," corrects Effie.

Haymitch just rolls his eyes. "Effie, why don't you leave so I can talk to Katniss privately? You can see her later." Effie huffs and mutters something about bad manners but she leaves the room, closing the door behind us.

"I remember," I mumble in reply. In fact, now that my mind's clearing up, I remember everything. Cato letting me go, the medicine, getting closer to him than I ever thought possible, the nightlock, and then winning together. I blush a little at the memory of stroking Cato's cheek. He was even more handsome up close. It took almost all of my self control not to get lost in his beautiful blue eyes.

I'm brought back to reality by Haymitch coughing loudly to get my attention. "Sweetheart, I'm not even going to ask what possessed that boy to spare your life, or what your real feelings for him are. But when you two refused to kill each other, you sent a spark of hope down to the districts. Especially the ones that have been waiting for someone like you to come along and give a face to the rebellion."

I interrupt him by sputtering "What? Me? The face of the rebellion? I was just trying to get home to Prim. I didn't even think the nightlock would save me, let alone start a rebellion!"

Haymitch sighs. "I didn't expect you to understand the weight of your actions. But now we have a big problem. President Snow can't figure out how to explain why you two didn't kill each other. So for the sake of everyone's well being, we've come up with a story to sell to the Capitol citizens. You and Cato fell in love before the games. You kept it a secret because you were supposed to be in love with Peeta. You were so madly in love that you couldn't stand to go on living without him. So that's what the nightlock was all about. And all that stuff you two said about not letting the Capitol have a victor, we don't mention that. Act like it never happened. The medicine thing was you two's way of saying goodbye to each other without 'revealing your love.' Got it?"

It takes me a while to process everything that Haymitch just said. The mention of Peeta makes my heart ache. I was never in love with him like I was supposed to, and I feel horrible about that. I have to make this right for him, for everyone. If it takes pretending to be in love with Cato to do that, then I will. My true feelings for him are more than friendship, but I don't love him. But could I? I don't want anyone to get hurt.

"I know it's a lot to take in," Haymitch says. "But I need you both to be believable. When you're being interviewed, say that you were so absolutely in love with Cato that you couldn't possibly imagine life without him. Convince them that you weren't trying to do anything except be with him."

I nod to show my understanding. "I was so in love with Cato that I couldn't stand life without him, so that's why I pulled out the nightlock. So we could be together."

Haymitch gives me a thumbs up to show his approval. "Good girl. I knew you could do it. Cato is going to come see you in a few minutes. You two need to get to know each other in order for this thing to work. And you can come up with whatever you're going to say during your interview together."

"So he's doing okay?" I ask shyly.

"Yeah, he's fine. That cut of his was pretty nasty. It probably would have gotten infected if you didn't have that medicine handy. But it healed up well and he's in perfectly good health."

Haymitch is interrupted by a knock at the door. "Speak of the devil!" he says, opening the door to reveal my fellow victor. "We were just talking about you Cato!"

Cato looks a little surprised at first, but his expression almost immediately changes back to normal. He looks much healthier than he did on the cornucopia, and the scratch on his cheek is almost completely faded to a scar.

"Hey Katniss," he says quietly.

"Hi," I reply softly.

Haymitch chuckles at our shyness. "I'll let you two talk," he says, exiting the room quickly and closing the door behind him, leaving me alone with Cato.

* * *

Cato POV

Katniss looks better than she did during the games. She looked great then, but now she looks nearly perfect. There's not a bruise or scar in sight, and her body radiates cleanliness. Her familiar grey eyes study me carefully, until I decide she's thinking the same thing about me.

"You look good. Come sit," she says, patting a nearby chair. I hastily scoot the chair towards her and throw myself down on it.

"So I'm guessing by now you heard about this whole romance thing," I say awkwardly. I hate to cut to the chase this early but it's been on my mind constantly.

"Yeah," she says, nodding. "What do you think about it?"

"I think it should be easy enough to convince them," I reply. "The Capitol citizens will love it."

She nods. "I think so too. So, tell me about your life back home. Do you have anyone special to return to?"

"Like a girlfriend?" I ask furtively.

She blushes a little but says firmly "Yeah, like a girlfriend."

I shake my head, smiling a little at how adorable she is. "Nah, I don't have a girlfriend."

Katniss smiles a little at my answer before stopping herself. Before she can say anything else, I ask her the question I'd been wondering throughout the games, up until now.

"You don't have to answer this if you don't want to. I'm sorry if it seems insensitive or forward. I was just wondering if all that stuff with Peeta was true. If you were really in love with him."

She looks at me for a second, a sadness in her hypnotic eyes, before lightly shaking her head. "To be honest, no I wasn't. I was never in love with Peeta. I'll always love him, but not in a romantic way. I just never felt that way for him."

Katniss pauses a little, like she's thinking about something, before she speaks. "Can I ask you a question?"

I nod. "Yeah, ask me anything."

"Okay, I just wanted to know. Were you looking at me during the tribute parade, and during training, or was that just my imagination? Because I thought you were looking at me, but I could have been wrong."

_Damn, she figured me out. _"No, it wasn't your imagination. I was looking at you. God, this is a little embarrassing. But yeah, I was."

Katniss laughs. "Good to know. I'm not mad or anything. I was just curious."

I should just tell her. At this point, it really couldn't hurt. "Well, now that my pride is shot, I might as well tell you why I was looking."

She scoots a little closer to me, a playfully interested look in her eyes. I never imagined she would act this way. _Must be the morphling. _"Okay, I'll bite. Why were you looking at me?"

_Here we go. _"I was looking at you because I thought, um, I mean I think, I still think, you're beautiful." _Oh my God what did I just do?_

"It's getting late, I should let you rest, I'll get going." I quickly get up and place the chair back in its original position before almost sprinting towards the door.

"Cato! Wait!" Katniss shouts after me.

I hesitantly walk back to her bedside. "Yeah?"

And then she leans over and kisses me.

I almost instantly kiss back. It's a short but powerful kiss, aided by the element of surprise. Her lips are warm and soft. I lose all my thoughts in the kiss. We pull away, too early in my opinion, before I lightly rest my forehead against hers.

"Well, now that my pride is shot," whispers Katniss, "I guess I can tell you that I thought that was really sweet."

I smile at her witty remark. They're right to call her the Girl on Fire.

"Goodnight Katniss. See you tomorrow."

She smiles back. "Goodnight Cato. Sleep well."

I leave and close the door behind me, and don't even try to stop a wide grin from appearing on my face.

* * *

Author's Note: Hey guys! So I decided to go ahead and rewrite the end of this chapter. I just wasn't happy with it before, so it was best to do a rewrite so I could move on knowing I liked where I left off. Just to make sure you know, Katniss is a little loopy on morphling. But next chapter (which is finished) she still remembers everything. I'm going to post this and then get started on typing Chapter 5, which is extra long so it should take me forever! Yah. Haha. Thank you for staying with me and let me know if you like this better than the original ending. -Claire


	5. Chapter 5: Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot

Chapter 5: The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot

"Call me a safe bet

I'm betting I'm not

Glad that you could forgive

Only hoping as time goes,

You can forget"

-Brand New, The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot

Katniss POV

I'm sitting on my bed in the penthouse that Peeta and I shared before the start of the games. Cato is supposed to arrive soon so we can get to know each other like we were supposed to yesterday. I was hopped up on morphling so I can't remember everything, but what I do remember is crystal clear.

It seems that what I remember are the important parts. Cato asking me if I loved Peeta, my honest answer of no, asking him if he looked at me during the tribute parade, him admitting that he had. Then, after he tried to leave, I called him back and kissed him. And he kissed back.

Our kiss is the most vivid memory of all. What's still unclear is how I feel about our kiss and what will come because of it. I had only kissed one boy before, Peeta, and that was partly for show, as much as it pains me to admit it. It was somewhat awkward, as first kisses often are, but it was still nice. The kiss I had with Cato was different. I remember hot breath and warm lips, and something else that was missing before- spontaneous passion.

Hidden feelings and affections came to light during that kiss. Whatever this means for our real relationship and our apparent 'secret romance' remains to be seen. But for now, I can wallow in how good it felt to have Cato's lips pressed against mine.

I'm interrupted by a light series of knocks on the door. I know instantly who it must be.

"Come on in," I say, smiling up at Cato.

"Hey," he says, smiling back. I pat the space next to me on the bed and he sits down.

I waste no time and get right down to business to find out more about my fellow victor. "So, we should probably actually talk to each other today. Tell me something about yourself," I suggest, turning to face Cato.

"Uh, well, there's not a lot to tell. What do you want to know?" he asks, stiffening up slightly.

It's obvious that I've made him uncomfortable, so I change the subject to something that should lighten the mood. "How about your family? Do you have any siblings?"

He seems to perk up at the mention of family, and we both become more relaxed. "Yeah, I do. I have a younger sister, like you. Her name is Mara, she's a year old. My dad, Maximus, is thirty seven. He won the games eighteen years ago. My stepmother, Ithaca, she's Mara's mom, is thirty five."

He looks completely content and gushes about his family until he mentions his stepmother. I don't want to pry, but it sounds like he doesn't like her much and I'm curious as to why.

"What's your stepmother like? You sounded a little bummed when you talked about her," I say, poking his side gently.

He laughs a little at my playful gesture but sighs before answering. "Ithaca's a little, uh, how do I put this nicely? Hard to get along with. I'll just leave it at that. You don't really want to know much about her, believe me. She's pretty damn unpleasant."

"That's unfortunate. Your dad's okay with that?" I question before really thinking. He can handle anything, he's a victor.

"Well, he doesn't like her too much either. But I guess he can stand a lot of things since winning the games. That's probably because he's an all around good guy. I don't think he could hate anyone. He always tries to see the best in people."

"He sounds like a genuinely good person," I muse, taking in Cato's words.

"He is. He's not like most men in District 2. He likes to read and is pretty quiet. You know, he didn't even want me to train for the games? Yeah. He said that he already won, and made a lot of sacrifices, so I shouldn't have had to. But it when it comes down to it, if you're picked to train, you do it. Especially if you're related to a victor. Your parents don't have a say in what happens to you. Not like anyone would object anyway. It's an honor to train. Or at least I thought it was."

Cato's voice trails off a little. By the end of his sentence, he sounds a little somber. My impulses take over and I reach over to hold his hand in mine. He softens at my touch. I can't help but think how right it feels.

He gently pulls me closer by wrapping an arm around my waist. I instantly surrender to his touch and rest my head in the crook of his neck. Being this close to him, closer than I've ever been with a boy, feels so natural.

"You know I've never told anyone that before," Cato says after we've sat together for a while. "You're the first person to know."

"That makes me feel good. Why'd you decide to tell me?" I ask, turning to face him while still staying close.

"To be honest, I'm not exactly sure. I guess I just feel like I can trust you. I mean, we're in this thing together. We should be able to trust each other."

"I trust you too."

* * *

Cato POV

So we trust each other. That's more than I could have hoped for. I decide to take a risk and open up more.

"You want to know something else? If we're really getting to know each other, I should tell you about my mom."

Katniss has a familiar interested look on her face. "You didn't mention her before. I'd love to hear about her."

I take a deep breath before I start talking. It's a complicated story, and it's going to take a while to explain.

"Her name was, well I guess it still is, Marina. She was from District 4. My dad met her on his victory tour. There were some problems with the train so instead of being there for a day, he stayed for a week. All the kids that are in training meet with the victor to talk about strategy and stuff. I guess they really hit it off. At the end of the week, my dad promised that he would send for her and she could come live with him, and he did. Outside contact with other districts is forbidden, but he managed somehow and she came to District 2. By then she found out she was pregnant with me, so they secretly got married. I was born a while after. They were happy for a while, until they got found out. My mom had to go back to District 4 because the games were coming up, and she was trained. So my dad took care of me by himself. Then my mom got picked to volunteer, and she didn't make it out. I was only a couple months old, so I don't remember her. But my dad does. As soon as he thought I was old enough to know, he told me everything. He never tried to hide anything from me, never tried to make me think Ithaca was my mom, nothing like that. He tried to do the best he could raising me on his own. But I guess it wasn't enough because I still turned out like this."

Katniss' grip on my hand tightened throughout my story. "Like what?" she asks, trying to get me to look at her. I shy away and attempt to avoid her attention.

I struggle to find the words that accurately express what I want to convey. "What I'm like. What I am. All messed up."

She shakes her head. "That's not true," she soothes, placing her free hand on my face. "You spared my life. That's not messed up. You're not a bad person."

I look deep into her stormy gray eyes and see genuine truth there. She's being honest with me.

"I'll never lie to you. We can trust each other," Katniss states firmly, with finality. She never lets go of my hand.

I'm still not convinced. "But look what I did during the games. I killed a lot of people. Thresh, the girl from District 8, the boy from District 3. And there are others. Not to mention it's partially my fault Peeta's dead. I saw Clove was going to throw her knife. I could have told her not to but I didn't."

"It's not your fault. That was during the games. We all did things we didn't want to. I killed people too. No one is innocent. But it wasn't our fault. We didn't have a choice. We were forced to fight each other." She tries to calm my guilt, but it doesn't help much. I can't just explain away what I did. My actions will haunt me forever.

"I should have told her to let him go. I was going to."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because he was helping you."

Katniss doesn't say anything. She just leans in and kisses me. I stop thinking and just feel her, all of her. When I imagined what it would be like to kiss her, I never thought it would be this good. I untie her loose braid and run my fingers through her soft hair. When we finally break apart, we rest our foreheads together like before. I gently trace the outline of her face with my thumb.

"I don't deserve you," I mutter.

"Yes you do. You're a good person Cato."

"You don't have to say that."

"If I didn't, I'd be lying. And we promised we would always be honest with each other."

I smile a little at this, and hold her hand tighter.

"We forgot we were supposed to be getting to know each other. Tell me about District 12."

Katniss looks thoughtful for a moment before speaking. She tells me about her mother, her little sister, Prim, her father dying in a mining accident when she was eleven, her mother's depression, hunting, the Hob, the woods, and her best friend, Gale. How Peeta saved her life when she was starving by purposely burning bread so he could throw it to her. I owe him for that. I didn't know until now.

It's a debt I can never repay.

* * *

A/N: Hey everybody! Sorry this update took forever. I actually finished writing the chapter yesterday and typed half of it, but it was getting late so I just went to bed. You might have noticed that I also rewrote the second half/ending of chapter 4. There's still a kiss, it's just a lot less sappy and I think it works a lot better. Check it out and let me know what you think. This chapter has a lot of romance, which was fun to write. Also there's a big clue about a major plot point in this chapter, it should be easy to find. I would just like to address some things:

I realize Ithaca is a Greek, not Roman name. I actually did that on purpose. Cato dislikes his stepmother (that'll show a lot more in future chapters.) Cato the Elder was a Roman statesman who tried to stop the growing influence of Greek culture on Rome. (Yes that's in the iPhone definition of Cato, I didn't actually know that.)I thought that kind of fit in well.

Going back and typing this I realized that they are holding each other's hands extremely tightly. They seriously almost broke each other's hands.

Cato is a little somber in this chapter (cue the sensitive Cato problems gif). This is a little OOC. I like him when's a little cockier and more like himself so I'll try to do more of that next chapter. Which is the interview with Caesar Flickerman! Finally.

The whole thing with Cato's mom (isn't Marina a cute name? I just think it's so cute!)is a little unrealistic. I actually debated taking it out. But it's going to be a major subplot in the future, and history may or may not repeat itself. (Cough cough.) But this is a fan fiction, and I've read a lot more unrealistic things, so I'm keeping it in. I regret nothing.

I may be going to Ocean Shores for the 4th so I don't know if I'll be able to update for a while, although I will be writing. Right now it looks like I'm staying home though. I'll keep you posted.

Oh my god I wrote a whole freaking essay again. Sorry. If you actually read these I applaud you. Thank you guys sooooo much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and adding me to your alerts. I love you all so much! (Sorry if that's weird but it's how I feel.) It makes me so happy that you like my story! I never thought that would happen. Keep on reading and reviewing. It gives me inspiration to write. Thank you all so much!(A lot of exclamation points, my feelings are coming out.) –Claire

P.S. If anyone likes Brand New, or any of the bands whose songs I'm using as chapter titles, let me know. Because then I would die of happiness. Ask Orbital Debris, she knows.


	6. Chapter 6: Savior

Chapter 6: Savior

"One thousand miles away,  
there's nothing left to say  
So much left that I don't know  
We never had a choice,  
this world is too much noise  
It takes me under,  
it takes me under once again."  
-Rise Against, Savior

* * *

Cato POV

I anxiously squirm in my seat as I mentally prepare myself for the victors' interview. Katniss is due to arrive any minute now. Then we'll go onstage together and do our best to act like the star crossed lovers the Capitol demands. It should be easy enough to convince the Capitol citizens, but President Snow is another story. I don't know how Katniss is going to react to the latest measure we have to take, but there's no alternative. It's all we can do but hope that he's satisfied and leaves our families alone.

All previous thought leaves my mind as Katniss enters the room. She's wearing a shimmery candlelight yellow dress that hugs every curve of her hourglass figure. Her hair is down in soft waves, adorned by a matching headband. She somehow looks both adorable and beautiful. Cinna has really outdone himself this time.

"Hey," she says, smiling at me, her eyes full of recognition.

"Hey," I breathe back. I'm still mesmerized by her presence. It takes me a second to compose myself. "You look amazing."

She smiles again. "Thank you. You look very handsome."

I just now notice my suit is the same color as her dress, and is even slightly shimmery. Our stylists must have collaborated.

I hold my hand out to her. "Let's get this over with."

Katniss takes my hand, but hesitates slightly. "I'm not very good with public appearances. You did so well at your interview. I just don't think I can compare."

I comfortingly squeeze her hand. "Don't worry. Your last interview went great, remember? The audience loved you. And you don't have to do it alone this time. We're doing this together."

She nods and we step forward out of the room together. I try to ignore the feeling that this interview isn't going to go as planned.

The deafening roar of the Capitol citizens' cheers is immediately audible once we reach the stage. There's only one chair for both Katniss and I, so she has to sit on my lap. _Haymitch had something to do with that._

Caesar Flickerman beams at us. He's wearing his trademark blue suit. The bright color combined with the blinding lights surrounding us is giving me a headache. Katniss seems to be having a similar reaction. Her eyes are half closed and she looks somewhat shocked. I place an arm around her waist and gently pull her closer to me.

Caesar wastes no time and gets started on the first question. "Ladies and gentleman, here they are! The victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss from District 12 and Cato from District 2! Tell me, how does it feel to be champions?"

"Well Caesar, as you know, in my district winning the games is a huge accomplishment. It feels great to bring pride to my district. I can't wait to go home as a victor. Katniss feels the same way." I nudge her a little and she nods enthusiastically.

"Excellent, excellent! Let's get on to the really important questions. Everyone is dying to hear the story of how you and Katniss fell in love."

The Capitol citizens' screams grow even louder. A couple of them are already crying and wiping their faces off with gaudily colored handkerchiefs. _Are these people for real?_

I chuckle pompously before answering. "It's actually very simple. As you remember, Katniss made quite the entrance at the tribute parade. When I saw her, I couldn't look away. I decided right then that she and I had to be together. Of course, she felt the same way." I flash a charming smile at the crowd. "And the rest is history."

Caesar claps his hands energetically."What a wonderful story! The power of young love never ceases to amaze me. Katniss, I have to ask you. When Peeta admitted his love for you, what was your reaction? What were your true feelings for him?"

Katniss looks sadly thoughtful for a moment before answering. I can tell it hurts her to talk about Peeta. "When Peeta said he had feelings for me, I felt bad because I didn't feel the same way. By then, I already loved Cato. I only ever thought of Peeta as a good friend."

Caesar nods. "That is a very honest answer. How did it feel to act as though you had feelings for Peeta during the games?"

"I felt extremely conflicted because I knew I only had feelings for Cato. Everything that happened with Peeta wasn't real. It was to hide the fact that Cato and I were actually in love with each other. We agreed to keep our relationship a secret so no one would get hurt during the games." I clutch her hand tighter, instantly sensing her increased discomfort.

"I see. How did you feel when you and Cato were the final remaining tributes?"

Katniss hesitates again. I clear my throat and make the decision to answer for her. "I think we both felt scared because we knew we couldn't win together, but we couldn't live without each other either. We were tired of keeping our relationship a secret. We couldn't kill each other. Eating the berries would allow us to be together."

Caesar nods his head in agreement. "Little did you know, that due to the great generosity of our wonderful president, you would both be named victor! Now before we wrap up, I understand that Cato has something he would like to ask Katniss."

The lump in my throat grows louder. I rack my mind, trying to remember the script Haymitch and Brutus wrote. I swallow quickly before jumping to my feet, hoping I don't ruin everything. I get down on one knee before pulling the small velvet box from the pocket of my suit.

"Katniss Everdeen, you are the woman of my dreams. I want to spend every waking moment of the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

The stunned look on her face is more than enough to render me immediately still.

* * *

Katniss POV

It's only been a few seconds since Cato proposed to me, but it feels like an eternity. I stare down at the sparkling engagement ring in front of me and struggle to find the right words. It's obvious I have to accept his proposal. Why can't I make myself say yes?

"Yes," I say finally, quietly but firmly.

Thankfully, it's enough for Cato. He quickly stands up and slides the ring onto my right hand. The volume of the crowd's screams intensifies. Cato wraps his arm around my waist and kisses me passionately. I'm a little caught off guard, but return the kiss, silently praying it looks natural.

Caesar Flickerman smiles and laughs before booming, "Citizens of Panem, I present to you, the victors of the 74th Annual Hunger Games, and soon to be husband and wife, Katniss and Cato!"

Cheers, sobs and shouts fill the air and echo off the stage walls. I tune them out and rush off stage, Cato right on my heels. Once we're safely out of view, I angrily turn towards him.

"How could you know that you had to propose and not tell me? It almost blew our cover!"

He sighs deeply, looking flustered. "Look, I wanted to tell you Katniss. I seriously almost did. Haymitch told me not to, so it would look more natural, like you were actually surprised. Please don't be mad at me."

I'm still fuming. "I'm not mad! I'm furious! They should have told me! I'm not some weak girl who can't be trusted. I deserve to know what's happening."

Just then, Haymitch enters the room, trailed by Brutus. "Don't be angry with Cato," Brutus says. "He didn't know either, until about fifteen minutes before the interview. He argued with us for a good ten minutes before finally giving in. He's on your side."

I feel a rush of affection for Cato, then guilt for blowing up at him. I rushed to judgment too soon.

"And so are we, sweetheart. Even if it doesn't seem like it right now," Haymitch adds. I shoot a glare in his direction. I haven't completely calmed down yet.

"Why did you decide to have Cato propose to me now?" I ask, genuinely curious. "I thought that might happen later."

Haymitch answers me. "We're trying to beat Snow at his own game. We knew he would demand marriage later as 'proof of your commitment'. So we decided to have Cato propose earlier to show him we're serious. This way we can stay one step ahead of him, and stay on his relatively good side. That should be enough for now."

"For now? If we have to get married now, then what the hell will we have to do later?" My temper is getting the best of me, and I almost scream the words at Haymitch.

He rolls his eyes before speaking. "Brutus, can you and Cato step out for a moment so I can talk to Katniss her alone? We'll meet up later."

Brutus nods and ushers a reluctant Cato, who looks back at me, out the door.

Haymitch turns to me. "Let's get real sweetheart. I'm going to tell you this because I know you can handle the truth and you need to hear it. You don't know how lucky you are. Do you know what would happen to you if Cato wasn't here? Answer honestly."

"No," I say, shaking my head. I don't understand what my mentor is getting at.

"Desirable victors, such as yourself, are often picked to stay in the Capitol. They're forced to do some very unpleasant things for the citizens. President Snow called you desirable, not me."

"What do you mean by 'unpleasant things'?" I still don't quite understand.

"Let me put it this way. You did that Glimmer girl a favor when you cut down the tracker jacker nest. If she had won the games, her life would have been hell."

Then I realize what he means. Glimmer's angle at her interview was to play up her sex appeal, with all that flirting and the see through dress. The mere thought of Capitol men lusting after a teenage girl is enough to make me sick.

"Forced prostitution," I mutter.

"Exactly," says Haymitch. "Well, they do have a choice, but not much of one. You either do it, or they kill everyone you love. So they all do."

I shake my head. It's incredibly sad and disgusting.

"What made me safe?"

"Cato," Haymitch answers. "If you already belong to someone, like we're making it seem you do, they leave you alone. That's never happened before. No one else has ever won with someone, had someone to save them. Until now. That's what Cato is. He's your savior. And you'll do damn well to remember it."

I nod, taking his words in. "So what happens next?"

"Well, you two have some time before the Victory Tour, and you'll eventually get married. Right now, it's time for district visits. Now that you and Cato are engaged, you need to meet his family. You two leave for District 2 in the morning. Then you both go back to District 12 until the Victory Tour starts."

So I'm going to District 2. But after that, I can finally go home.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the late update. I went on an impromptu vacation for the 4th of July from Wednesday to Friday. I thought I was staying home so I planned to update around then but that obviously didn't happen. So it's been almost a week since I've updated. I apologize for that. I'm going to try to update more often, especially since I'm going to Texas the last week of July to visit family, and from then on, August is going to be crazy. I have daily doubles for cross country, summer homework (which I haven't even started yet), and preparation for school, which is going to take up nearly all my time. I hope to wrap this story up in the near future, but I don't want to rush, so it might have to go on hiatus until cross country season is over. Even then I'll be super busy with two AP classes, so I don't know how much I'll be able to update, but hopefully it'll be more often. Early summer really is the best time to write a fan fiction. In other news, AP test scores came in the mail. I got a 4 on my Human Geography test and I'm so happy! Did any of you take an AP test? If so, I hope you got the score you wanted. Thank you all for reading and reviewing. Please review more! If you haven't reviewed yet and you could take a second to do so, that would make me so happy. If you have reviewed, thank you so much, I really appreciate the feedback. Special shout out to Orbital Debris for reviewing and mentioning me in her Catoniss fic, Plus Ten, which is seriously amazing by the way, you have to read it. Thanks for everything and I hope you enjoy! –Claire


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you guys know that Chapter 7 is being rewritten. There has been a lot of confusion about what's going on in this chapter, and that's completely my fault. It has come to my attention that it comes off as inappropriate and that was not what I was trying to imply at all, so I'm going to make a few changes that should make the chapter much better. I don't know when it's going to be back up but hopefully it's soon. I apologize if you were offended or for any inconvience. I want to have Chapter 7 up as soon as possible but right now I don't know when that will be. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. I feel crazy bad about this, I hope we can just put in behind us and move on because I really want to continue this fic, and I have no plans to abandon I am really kicking myself right now,I have no idea why I thought that would be an appropriate plot point.


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